Cirith Ungol rather grandly stated that their tour last year was going to be their final one, so this is a crowning testament to what a tragedy that is, as this is one of the best live albums I have ever heard. Like a bookend of their famous live set at the same club in 1983, this puts an epic capstone on their 50+ years on the road.

First of all, the sound of this is fantastic. Forget any idea of a live album being muddy or muffled, this is clear, sharp, heavy, and has the bottom end you need for this band to shine. The first 8 tracks are the Dark Parade album in its entirety, and the songs frankly sound better than they did in the studio. Tim Baker, especially, sounds awesome—he really just blazes with power and grit like you would not expect from a guy his age.

The second disc is a dozen treasures dredged up from the band's back catalog, and contains all the classics you could ask for. You get "Atom Smasher," "Black Machine," "Blood and Iron," "Chaos Descends," "Master of the Pit," "King of the Dead," and they close out with "Join the Legion" to finish strong.

Not a lot of crowd noise or banter, but enough so you know they are on stage and not in a studio somewhere. The sound of this is live in every way imaginable, with a warmth and organic vibe that makes you feel like you are there. If Cirith Ungol are not going to tour anymore, then at least they left this monolith of a live album. First class.